File:Petaurus_breviceps-Cayley.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
OverviewAI-generated
Petaurus breviceps, commonly known as the sugar glider, is a species of mammal within the family Petauridae. It belongs to the order Diprotodontia, class Mammalia, phylum Chordata, and kingdom Animalia. The species was described by Waterhouse in 1839 and exists during the Holocene period.
The sugar glider has a heart rate of 250 and reaches sexual maturity at an age of 10. The longest observed lifespan for this taxon is 17.8 years. Its IUCN conservation status is listed as Least Concern, a designation recorded in 2016.
Records of Petaurus breviceps are associated with institutions including ANWC, UWBM, RBINS-SCIENTIFIC HERITAGE, MSB, and UWZM. Occurrence data indicates presence in Australia, Papua New Guinea, the United States, and Indonesia.
Synthesized by Vinony from 35 facts across 7 sources: Wikidata, GBIF, iNaturalist, Gbif Occ, IUCN Red List, iDigBio, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
In the Vinony graph
Within Vinony's link graph, Petaurus breviceps is referenced by 378 other articles, and connects out to marsupial, estrous cycle and arboreal locomotion.
Vinony files it under Gliding possums, IUCN Red List least concern species and Least concern biota of Oceania.
Its subject is documented across 44 Wikipedia language editions.
Species
Least ConcernSugar Glider
SPECIES
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassMammalia
- OrderDiprotodontia
- FamilyPetauridae
Maximum longevity: 17.8 years (captivity) Observations: In zoos, these animals have been known to live up to 17.8 years (Richard Weigl 2005).
via GBIF · IUCN
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 2,300
- With media
- 62
- Family
- Petauridae
- Collections
- ANWC, UWBM, RBINS-SCIENTIFIC HERITAGE, MSB, UWZM, MVZ
- Recorded in
- Australia, Papua New Guinea, United States, Indonesia
Bird sounds
- call· Australia· quality A
- call· Australia· quality A
- uncertain· Australia· quality B
via Xeno-canto
Wikidata facts
Show 12 more facts
- taxon rank
- species
- IUCN conservation status
- Least Concern
- taxon name
- Petaurus breviceps
- Commons category
- Petaurus breviceps
- Commons gallery
- Petaurus breviceps
- taxon common name
- sladkosneda poletuša vrečarica
- longest observed lifespan
- 9
- taxon author citation
- Waterhouse, 1839
- short name
- P. breviceps
- age of onset of sexual maturity
- 10
- heart rate
- 250
- time period
- Holocene
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~23 min read
Encyclopedic overview
The sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) is a small, omnivorous, arboreal, and nocturnal gliding possum. The common name refers to its predilection for sugary foods such as sap and nectar and its ability to glide through the air, much like a flying squirrel. They have very similar habits and appearance to the flying squirrel, despite not being closely related—an example of convergent evolution. The scientific name, Petaurus breviceps, translates from Latin as "short-headed rope-dancer", a reference to their canopy acrobatics.
The sugar glider is characterised by its pair of gliding membranes, known as patagia, which extend from its forelegs to its hindlegs. Gliding serves as an efficient means of reaching food and evading predators. The animal is covered in soft, pale grey to light brown fur which is countershaded, being lighter in colour on its underside.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Petaurus breviceps” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.